Hard Truth Maple Brûlée Rye Review

A little background

Maple Brûlée Rye is a limited-edition whiskey from Hard Truth Distilling in Nashville, Indiana. This whiskey is crafted from a mash bill of 69% rye, 20% corn, and 11% malted barley. Following its initial aging of over three years in new, charred American white oak barrels, the whiskey spent an additional year maturing in maple brûlée barrels. These barrels, crafted by Tonnellerie Moreau in Quebec, underwent a second charring after previously aging bourbon for 7 to 9 years and then maple syrup for a year. Before reaching Canada, they had first housed syrup at Bissell Maple Farm in Jefferson, Ohio. To complete the process, Hard Truth gave the whiskey a final touch by briefly finishing it on toasted Jupilles French oak.

Hard Truth Maple Brûlée Rye is a cask-strength, single-barrel release, with the reviewed bottle coming in at 101.3 proof and bottled on September 6, 2024. This highly limited edition is priced at $90 USD, making it a rare and sought-after offering.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Gold

Nose

Lipton tea, honey, juicy fruit gum, Bananas Foster’s, vanilla, and rye spice.

Palate

Juicy cantaloupe, cinnamon, cake batter, bananas, baking spice, and mint.

Finish

Fresh stick of juicy fruit gum, caramelized sugar, rye spice, banana, dusty chocolate, clove, and oak.

In closing

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Hard Truth Distillery. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.